Rae Croteau Jr. – Day Money Run On Night 2 In Calgary
Photo By Shellie Scott
Night 2 of the 2026 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta was run under hot and sunny skies on Saturday night in Calgary. With excellent track conditions and another capacity crowd on hand, fans were treated to an outstanding evening of chuckwagon racing. When the dust settled, it was Rae Croteau Jr., driving the Bar L5 Ranch Ltd. outfit, who claimed the Kirk’s Trail Tire Wheels on Fire Fast Time of the Night with a blazing run of 1:11.58.
Coming off barrel number one in the eighth heat, Croteau Jr. crossed the finish line in second place, but penalties assessed to the other drivers in the heat moved him to the top of the day sheet by just under a half second. Defending Rangeland Derby Champion Chanse Vigen, despite taking a one-second penalty, finished second on the night for the second straight evening. Jason Glass was third, while opening-night winner Jamie Laboucane placed fourth despite incurring two seconds in penalties. Obrey Motowylo rounded out the top five.
With second-place finishes on both opening nights, Chanse Vigen and his visitlethbridge.com outfit lead the overall aggregate standings with a two-day combined time of 2:23.11. He holds a 47 one-hundredths of a second advantage over Jamie Laboucane, while Obrey Motowylo sits third overall. Rae Croteau Jr. has moved into fourth place, with Logan Gorst rounding out the top five, both within striking distance of a coveted spot in the top three.
The top three drivers in the aggregate standings following racing on Saturday, July 11, will advance to the Championship Final Heat. The winner of that heat will be crowned the 2026 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta Champion.
Live coverage of Day 3 of the 2026 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta can be heard Sunday night, July 5, 2026 on WPCA Radio beginning at 7:15 p.m. MDT on 96.5 The Ranch. Fans can also listen via streaming through the WPCA website, the iHeartRadio app, or the Radioplayer Canada app. Television coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. local time on Sportsnet One. Check your local listings.
Billy Melville
